I want my students to remember what they learn and connect it to the word around them. Math without context and understanding of when to use it, is useful. My class this year is OBSESSED with making comics. I have tried to harness that obsession on several occasions (such as in reading responses) but this project is a lot more exciting.
I downloaded a free app called "Comic Strip- Comic Maker" I chose this one because although others said they were free, they had extremely limited features without paying. This app is by no means perfect but it suited the needs for what I want to do with it.
The idea is that students will work to compile a class book that shows comic style images showing how math they have learned will appear outside of school.
If it were the beginning of the year, I would have this project be an ongoing one. With each topic we learn about, we already discuss why it is important and when we would need it. I could easily have students record their ideas in their notebooks. Every time they see or think of another example throughout the unit, they can lengthen that list. Before each test, we have a review day. That would be the perfect day of the unit to incorporate making comics on the iPad. Students can pick their most interesting example and create a simple comic out of it. They can choose to either take a picture from around the classroom or download it from the internet. They can make adjustments to make the comic look cool but would be required to show how it is related to math using brief text.
Since it is getting towards the end of the year, I can still have my class make comics for each unit but it would be more like a review of the year. Whether the project was gradual or completed towards the end of the year, the comics will be printed and compiled into a book. This book can be unique to that class as a volume of a multiyear collection, or it can be a single book that is added to each year.
Here are some pros and cons for the app.
It is important to note that you cannot move where the cursor is when you are typing in the app. If you make a mistake, you have to erase all of your text to get to that point. The fact that autocorrect doesn't fix mistakes makes this especially problemaitic. Even with working carefully and checking my work, I somehow still missed my own typo (but if you didn't see it on your own, I am not going to tell you where it is).
I can see my colleagues using this app in other areas such as a project related to onomatopoeia. The third graders love that lesson in ELA class. It could also be fun for modeling science understanding.
This is such a fun project with the potential for strong math connections that can be read for years to come.
Has anyone tried this so far? Tell me how it went in the comics below.
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